There is certainly no shortage of bad news these days. For what ever reason it's human nature to key on the worst that is happening while forgetting to count our blessings. I have to admit I'm no different. Regarding paintball, I've been off and on maintaining a blog site titled Bad Boys (and Girls) of Paintball for some time while totally overlooking stories like Paintball for Children's Miracle Network. While it's true we learn from the bad I think it's also good to rejoice in the positive.

Jun 29, 2009

It's that time again. The temperatures hovered around 100 degrees here at the field this weekend. The mister is set up. Extra freeze pops have been stocked (we give them away between games) and the heat advisory sign is out. I remind the refs of the heat exhaustion symptoms - pale, flushed skin, confusion, vomiting.

Jun 28, 2009

Billy Bob and Jethro were hunkered down in a paintball bunker one day and Jethro looked at Billy Bob and asked, "How come these balls are 68 caliber instead of something even like 70 caliber?" Billy Bob thought for moment and then swatted Jethro on the top of the head. "Ya dang fool. They wouldn't fit in the gun if they were 70 caliber!"

Jun 26, 2009

I will never understand what people are thinking when they point to one field or another and say, "That field is a paint monster!" The length of a field or lack of length, it's number of bunkers or layout, whether it's a "speedball" field or a woods ball field - none of this means a thing regarding the amount of paint you need. I get a kick out of telling players, "There's eight on each side. You only need eight paintballs right?"

Of course players shoot allot of paint in the woods. They spend the first half of the game shooting from out of range. And yes, of course players shoot allot of paint on the speedball course. They feel "threatened" from the git-go and find comfort in shooting at everything that moves.

Don't stand off to one side mumbling to your friends, "He's taking us to that course so he can sell us a bunch of paint." Check your attitude. Check your twitchy finger. Buy a pump.

Jun 25, 2009

Minimum wage goes up in July here in Arkansas. I'm going to have to let a ref or two go.

Minimum wage pisses me off. Sweat shops and abusive child labor makes me angry, too. But where's the middle ground? I employ young people. For 99 percent of them this is their first paycheck. Most of them are minimally aware of the responsibilities of holding a job. I'm not paying them an "allowance". There are additional responsibilities involved. Most are not even aware of the number one rule. Get to work on time. Or the second number one rule. Don't call your employer a half hour before opening time to let him know you have a family obligation (or you have Saturday school detention).

I take my responsibility to these young people seriously. I prepare them for the real world of employment. I allow them to make mistakes. I give them second chances. I tutor and mentor them - on my time.

Should they be working for free like interns? I don't think so. They have a tough job and deserve compensation. But should they be making minimum wage before the are minimally experienced?

Jun 23, 2009

Jun 22, 2009

Pet peeves have been a theme of sorts this past month - here and here. Lets try another:

(sarcasm on) I love to see players holding fifteen hundred dollar guns in one hand while they search through my tools for a three dollar hex set. (sarcasm off) Touch their gun and they will cry "FELON" while thinking nothing of walking off with my tools. Most of them, to their credit, don't actually steal my tools. I find most of them left behind on the tables outside.

Jun 20, 2009

They’re hardly tall enough to see over the check-in counter so I check their waiver cards to make sure they’re old enough to play. No problems.

The kids are fired up, ready to play. Dad looks over at a group of players near the T.V. that are watching the safety brief - 17, maybe 18, wearing camo and setting up their own guns.

"You kids sure you want to play against those guy?" Dad says hitching a finger toward the T.V.

And it happened in an instant. I saw it in the kid's eyes. The fun and fire turned into doubt and apprehension.

Dad says, "We want to play as a separate group."

"Sorry, Sir. You need 12 or more to make a group."

"I’ll pay for 12!"

"Well, Sir, if I could spare a referee that would mean 12 times $15."

"I don't care about the money."

"Sorry, I can’t pull a walk-on ref for a group of five."

"Well. It doesn’t seem right that these kids have to play with those adults" (ummm, hello. YOU plan to play with the kids!)

Later, I over hear Dad trying to cajole a couple of my younger refs into letting them play as a private group!

I stepped from around the corner of the gun shed and addressed the four boys. "You guys grab your gear and go out there and show those big guys how to play paintball. The refs will make sure everyone plays fair and safe!"

Man. I was fuming. I headed for my office to calm down. I didn’t care for Dad’s arrogance, I didn’t care for him putting doubt in the kid’s minds and I sure as heck didn’t care for him going around me and trying to push his way past my refs!

Four hours later I happened to be standing outside when Dad and the four kids were heading for the parking lot.

The kids were chattering away, one saying, "What a blast! - while another was telling his friend, "I’m gonna have my birthday party, here!"

Jun 18, 2009

I don't wear an aluminum foil hat (all the time) or believe in (most) conspiracy theories (I only believe in three of these) but something evil lurks among us. And to make matters worse, now there is BING - it makes decisions for us so we can better make decisions!

Jun 16, 2009

Don't bring me a broke gun and then stand over me while I'm fixing it, telling me how to take it apart and put it back together. After all, you are the one that put the bolt in backwards and got the springs mixed up and used the wrong oring on the striker and...

Jun 13, 2009

The first thing anyone who works here at T-Square learns is SAFETY is the first priority - followed by CUSTOMER SERVICE. My employees seem to have no problem making the two work together.

I, on the other hand, am not always such a patient person.

Recently, when one young player decided he didn't need to watch our "stupid" safety video and then started cutting up while it was playing my Field Manager stepped in to reprimand him. Mom felt she had to say, "We are paying customers and I don't think you need to be so stern."

My Field Manager tactfully handled the situation, the young player watched the briefing and all went well.

I would have told Mom he either sits down, shuts up and watches the safety video or you can take him home!

Jun 12, 2009

Boston, MA, June 09, 2009 -- 280TV, an Internet sports network, today launched a one of a kind destination site for paintball. The site, www.280TV.com, broadcasts exclusive video content filmed from popular paintball leagues, news and information about the sport and industry. The high quality video content is wrapped in an interactive environment where enthusiasts are able to discuss the happenings in paintball with one another and offer feedback to the industry.

“Finally the paintball community has a place where they can see great paintball footage, get news, and information without having to search the Internet. 280TV is the destination for paintball.” -Brian Pierce, Boston Paintball Manager

Viewers of 280TV.com will have access to exclusive game footage from the sports most exciting events. They will also view information related to paintball including equipment reviews, player profiles, team news and standings, schedules and lots more. The community will be encouraged to interact through short commentaries on the videos, forums, discussion boards and email. Paintball enthusiasts will help build this 280TV community. Industry personnel will also get a chance to get perspectives from the enthusiast to gain a better understanding of how their company and products are used and viewed by the community.

“This is a first in the paintball industry. For once, the paintball community will finally have a one-stop destination to fulfill their paintball needs. 280TV is dedicated to supporting the paintball community, from the recreational player, to the equipment manufacturers and league owners.” – Amir Kahrim, 280TV CEO.

For advertisers that are interested in targeting this demographic, 280TV will provide a variety of options to reach out to the 280TV audience. Some of these solutions include pre and post roll video commercials and banner ads. The company is looking forward to providing paintball community with the best online experience now and in the future.

Contact:Amir Kahrim280TV - CEO & Co-Founder

280TV name is derived from the maximum speed (280 feet per second) at which many fields across the country allow paintballs to travel.
Read more...

Jun 10, 2009

As a ref one of my pet peeves is hearing, "REF! MOVE. GET OUT OF THE WAY."

Intellectually I understand. The player has laid down some hard earned cash for a chance to shoot his buddies and he doesn't need me standing around blocking his shot.

Emotionally my first reaction is to tell the player to bugger off and move to a better position - after all, I have a job to do here and I'm in a spot where I can see a majority of the players. Later, I would remind the player that a ref is no different than a tree or bunker. You wouldn't holler at a brush pile to get out of your way, right?

But that's not right. Much to arrogant. So where is the middle ground?

There is none. I move to a different spot where I can see a different majority of the the players. The customer is always right.

T-Square Paintball Field opens for play at noon on Saturday and Sunday.

It amazes me how people will show up at 11:00 or 11:30 ready to play.

"We want to get a few games in before the rest of the guys get here."

Well...that would be great if we were ready. There are guns to chrono and masks to clean and safe zones to set up and fields to be inspected. There's paint to ready and tanks to fill and the food concession to set up. (Those hot dogs don't cook themselves, you know!)

Oh, and look. There's a limb that fell last night and took out some netting and the air fill whip just decided to spit a crucial oring across the gun shed room. One of my refs called to say he has Saturday detention and can't come in while another is tossing up bad sushi behind the bathroom building.

And even if none of that mattered - T-Square Paintball Field opens for play at noon on Saturday and Sunday. It's on our signs, it's on our fliers, it's on our answering machine and it's on our web site.

Jun 9, 2009

I chatted about this in an earlier post - how it frosts my behind to place a pro-shop order and have that order filled from multiple locations. The combined shipping is always more than if it was all shipped from one location.

Recently I ordered 26 items from one of my major suppliers. I received 6 of them. Thinking the rest of the order might arrive on a different shipment I waited a couple of days before I called to find out what happened to the rest. The explanation - the twenty items were out of stock!

Ten of those items were ordered from a sales flyer. I understand how sale items can fly off a shelf. First come first serve. But the other items? Packs. Goggles. An HPA tank! Not exactly uncut diamonds or uranium ore.

Not the service I expect from one of the "big boys." And to add insult to their inefficiency I placed an order from two other suppliers on the same day and they both came through 100 percent. AND this big boy supplier comes up short on nearly every order I make from them. If it wasn't for the big boy having decent stuff that my customers want I would say the heck with them.

And to add insult to my injury this same supplier announce today in a press release the hiring of two new employees. They are not going to have much to sell if they are sales people. Maybe, with a little luck, they are logistics specialists.

I can understand shipping paint from multiple locations. (Another post entirely. I hardly ever find 80 cases of anything from a single location.) I want the paint to arrive fresh with as little road rash as possible. But the hard goods? I don't need overnight delivery. I just want one shipping charge and a complete order.

Jun 7, 2009

A newbie team was considering a local two-day tournament. The first prize was $100,000.00, and it only cost $100.00 to enter a team. You didn't have to pre-register, just show up on game day and the best part was you could bring your own paint.

On the day of the tournament they were lead into the woods and were set upon by several people and clubbed unconscious. Twenty minutes later a professional team was lead into the woods and given the same treatment.

Two hours later the players of both teams started to wake up and the newbie player asked, "Are they going to serve lunch at this tournament?"

"I dunno," the professional team captain remarked, "They didn't last year."

After ranting a couple of posts back about how I only sell the best paintballs here at T-Square my daughter found this little gem in a factory sealed bag of 500 this past weekend.

To be fair, it was not found in our field paint but rather in a box of "backyard" paint that I sell the economy minded player.

It's actually two paintballs that were found stuck together. The bottom one is fairly intact and round while the top one is flattened and shaped into a perfect little hat! (The black marker features were added by one of our artistic field workers.)

Not necessarily something that made me mean and grumpy. In fact, I almost smiled when I saw it!

Jun 5, 2009

Jun 4, 2009

When ever I work on a Tippmann98 the first thing I do is remove the elbow and hopper. I get a kick out of the customers reaction when I press on the front site latch and swing the elbow/hopper down and off the gun.

"WOW, I didn't know that came off like that!"

The first thing I do when I receive a new gun (the TPX sitting behind me is next) is tear it apart. I feel it's important that I know everything about anything I plan to sell. I don't expect my customers to do this, in fact I ask them not to after I show them the general maintenance requirements, but it would be nice if they at least scanned the owner's manual.

I've had a few customers who had no idea the barrel screwed off. Give yourself some points if you know the TAC-5 can be set up as left, right or center feed. And before you go tearing apart that A5 read up on how everything important slides right out the back end.

Jun 3, 2009

Jun 2, 2009

I have allot of personal opinions about paintball and seeing how they are opinions I certainly don't expect anyone to take them for gospel. But I have to wonder sometimes. Had a young man and his Dad in the shop a few days ago. The boy asked for a particular gun by name. After telling him (with Dad within earshot) why I don't stock that gun and how it's unreliable and not very maintenance friendly he looked at his Dad and said, "Let's go see if they have it at (insert competitor's name here)!

The situation got me to thinking so I put together a poll. It's a bit self serving and I don't put much stock in polls - they are after all, personal opinions, but it might be nice to see what you think.

Jun 1, 2009

So, Bo tells me the venue at the Bitburg Millennium Series was smaller than he expected. Had more of a local tournament feel than an international event. The new Impulse looks like any other current high end gun and at $999.00 it's a bit of a yawn. The wife was not real anxious to make the hour and a half drive to Bitburg from Ramstein but when they left Saturday she said they definitely needed to go back on Sunday. And no swag! Nothing that said "Millennium". No t-shirts. Disappointing. I'll leave it to the other blogs to report on the winners and losers and player whining.

When I first started this blog I thought the term blog sounded so corny that I refused to call it a blog. The whole concept still amazes me - part public diary (an oxymoron), part editorial, part informational with a mix of ego and angst and for some (not me), a source of income.

For me venting on the keyboard at the beginning of the day is a way to clear the senses. I never thought much about someone stopping by to have a read. I had the comments option turned off because it didn't matter to me if anyone agreed or disagreed with what I said.

But lately, more and more I'm getting a kick out of the number of people stopping by (there's that "mix of ego" part) and the comments are becoming more important. I've also seen a surge in over seas visitors and that's very cool. Brazil, Australia, Malaysia, India, Iraq, Finland, Netherlands, United Kingdom (Hello Myron), Switzerland, Germany (Hello Bo) and friends in Canada. I would love to get more comments from all of you. Paintball is something we all have in common.

Guest bloggers are welcome. Some bloggers have their "minions" and spies and enlistees. I just call you all friends. I have one friend in Germany who is at the tournament in Bitburg Germany today who I hope will report back to me when he checks out the debut of the new Smart Parts Impulse. If you have news, rumors or just something to say be sure and drop me a line.

To continue with my series on The Girls of Paintball I scored a great interview with Benedicte Rønneberg, Captain of the all girl team, &quo...

From around the net...

OH NO, you didn't just say THAT!

"A billion-dollar company tried to steal my identity, and I was able to fight and regain my identity. That's why I'm on cloud nine; I fought the giant and I'm a success story against Activision." (Greg Hastings)

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Yakity yak.... 3 shot rulz... take 3 shots at my field and take a break. what's the hurry? who ya tryin to impress? this aint no freak show! why waste paint? can't hit em with three? throw three more. can't hit em with them? go fishin~ (me, on Facebook)

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Yes, I know Steve Davidson found the property that was the site of the first ever paintball game. No, I don't care. (Dale from the Ford Report)

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"How is paintball like golf? Golf is played outdoors on nice, well kept grass or, if something goes horribly wrong, off in the woods. Same with paintball." (Baca Loco)